CompTIA Security Plus Mock Test Q961

An administrator discovers that many users have used their same passwords for years even though the network requires that the passwords be changed every six weeks. Which of the following, when used together, would BEST prevent users from reusing their existing password? (Select TWO).

Explanation:
In this question, users are forced to change their passwords every six weeks. However, they are able to change their password and enter the same password as the new password.
Password history determines the number of previous passwords that cannot be used when a user changes his password. For example, a password history value of 5 would disallow a
user from changing his password to any of his previous 5 passwords.
When a user is forced to change his password due to a maximum password age period expiring, (the question states that the network requires that the passwords be changed every
six weeks) he could change his password to a previously used password. Or if a password history value of 5 is configured, the user could change his password six times to cycle back
round to his original password. This is where the minimum password age comes in. This is the period that a password must be used for. For example, a minimum password age of 30
would determine that when a user changes his password, he must continue to use the same password for at least 30 days.

Incorrect Answers:
A: The length of password determines how many characters a password must contain. It will not prevent users from changing their passwords multiple times to cycle back to their
original passwords.
D: Password expiration determines how long a password can be used for before it must be changed. In this question, the password expiration is 6 weeks. Password expiration will
force users to change their passwords but it will not prevent users from changing their passwords multiple times to cycle back to their original passwords.
E: Password complexity determines what a password should include. For example, you could require a password to contain uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. . It will not
prevent users from changing their passwords multiple times to cycle back to their original passwords.
F: Non-dictionary words is a setting that determines that a password should not be a word that can be found in a dictionary. This is to prevent a “dictionary attack” where software can
be used to attempt to access a system by using the words of a dictionary as the password.